Easy Harry Potter Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies

• All purpose flour
• Salt
• Unsalted butter - allow your butter to soften at room temperature
• Granulated sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla extract

Royal Icing

• Powdered sugar - sweetens the icing while keeping it silky smooth
• Egg whites - save the egg yolks for an extra flavorful omelet or quiche!
• Water - loosens the icing so it's easier to pipe
• Gel food coloring - don't use liquid food color or dye, which could make your icing too runny

How to Make Harry Potter Cookies

Make the Sugar Cookie Dough

1. Mix the dry ingredients: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat the butter: In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the room temperature butter for about 3 minutes until it is creamy and a paler yellow.
3. Add the sugar: Add the granulated sugar to the butter and beat for another 3 minutes, until it is fluffy and very pale yellow.
4. Add the egg & vanilla: Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Beat for another minute or two, until the egg and vanilla are fully incorporated.
5. Add half the dry ingredients: Add half the flour and salt mixture and beat on a low speed for about a minute, until there is no dry flour visible.
6. Add the rest of the dry ingredients: Add the remaining half of the flour and salt mixture and beat for another 3 minutes, until there is no more dry flour visible and the dough stays in a ball when you squeeze it in your palm.
7. Shape and chill the dough: Divide the dough in half and shape the dough into two round discs. Wrap them individually in plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Shape and Bake the Cookies

1. Prepare the oven and baking sheet: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a siplat.
2. Roll out the dough: On a lightly floured clean work surface, roll out one of the dough discs until it is ¼-inch thick.
3. Cut out cookies: Cut out shapes with Harry Potter themed cookie cutters.
4. Bake: Spread out the cookies on the baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until they are golden around the edges.
5. Cool: Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
   Continue rolling out the dough and cutting cookie shapes until you've used all the dough. Let all the cookies cool completely before decorating them.

Make the Royal Icing

1. Sift the sugar: Sift the powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Beat in the egg whites: Add the whites of two eggs. Begin beating it on a very low speed. Gradually increase the speed of your mixer and beat it for about 5 minutes on a high speed, until it is very creamy.
3. Add water: Add two teaspoons of water to your icing to thin it out to your desired consistency.
4. Color the icing: Divide your icing into four bowls. Add gel food coloring to achieve the desired colors that you want to decorate with.
5. Pipe the icing: Add your icing colors into individual piping bags and decorate the sugar cookies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are decorated sugar cookies so hard to make?

Decorating sugar cookies with royal icing can be difficult because it takes patience and a steady hand. Usually cookies are decorated with a lot of detail, which takes practice to perfect.

Why are my frosted sugar cookies dry?

If you overbake your cookies, they'll end up dry. Try to roll the dough as evenly as possible. Any cookies that are thinner will bake faster and need to come out of the oven sooner to avoid being overbaked.

Why does sugar cookie dough need to be chilled?

Chilling sugar cookie dough allows it to become firm, so it's easier to roll and cut into cute shapes. Chilling also prevents the cookies from spreading as much in the oven, so they maintain the shape from the cookie cutters.